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Younger Generation Key to Ending Poverty: World Bank Economist

The community, particularly the younger generations, are key to tackling poverty in Indonesia, the World Bank’s lead economist for Indonesian poverty program said on Monday (17/10). According to Vivi Alatas, 62 million Indonesians currently live in a state vulnerable to poverty, exacerbated by difficulties in accessing information, structural conditions and a lack of motivation.

Poor people struggle to access information and education, Vivi said, which makes it difficult to make smart and informed decisions about finance.

Vivi said, with greater education, the younger generations could end the cycle of hardship, while also spreading information with friends and family through social media. Although the government has the budget to socialize the program, the young generation have the knowledge to make it viral, using the right language.

Vivi said 26 percent of Indonesians between the age of 15 to 24-years-old are currently not studying, working or seeking employment. She pointed to a lack self-motivation as a concern, but adds structural problems, such as high costs and poor infrastructure, perpetuate the cycle of poverty.